Originally Posted by Verdell

I don't think it will matter much if coverage rules your bid (i.e. weekends are forced reserve and your schedule spreads throughout the month no matter how you bid). That said, I would be in the camp of bidding reserve early in the month, simply because if there are any delays in your IOE it will become an advantage (i.e. you don't fly beginning of the month on those reserve days because you are NQ, IOE would land in your late-month XX days and you might bank PB days.) If you bid reserve late in the month, and IOE starts late in the month, your early-month days off (both from your bid and no IOE scheduled) would grant no advantage.

Be careful of advice from even the most experienced folks, because newhire bidding for IOE is different than "normal" training bid schedules. The "shadow period" does not work the same way for newhires as it does for everyone else since training pay (aka Entry-level pilot pay) is in place until completion of IOE.